Musings on a life singing, teaching and being a creature of the theatre!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

A Journey - sing to stage!

Wednesday musings...

I get all kinds of these questions - and ask myself so many more!!!

The journey we are on as singers are individual certainly, but there are many factors and realities we need to consider and acknowledge to discover where we are, why we are, what we are!!! This isn't just for singers, but I will use singing as that is what I KNOW and DO!

Wanting to sing doesn't make you a singer.

Being a singer doesn't mean you will have a career making music.

And, sadly, sometimes none of these have anything to do with career!!!

Yes, it's tough, but it's true. All of these places in the journey require their own temperament, talent and personality, as well as process and engagement.

In a perfect world, the process would start with the ability to sing, to becoming a singer, to developing the craft and acumen to have a career.

It simply doesn't work that way. There is no clear or clean-cut path. There is, however, a REALITY OF RECOGNITION to discover the honesty of where you are, and what you are.

First, can you sing? There are many kinds of singers - we don't all come to our singing the same way! Some are natural singers, some are musical singers, some are built singers. This is the raw beginning. No matter if it is natural or not, it has to be developed.

Are you prepared to do what it takes to develop that voice and the artistry of singing to discover if you ARE a singer? Having a natural voice doesn't make you a singer. Being musical doesn't make you a singer. WANTING to be a singer, doesn't make you a singer.

Being a singer requires the raw material yes, but then there's MORE. It demands the passion and the pursuit of study to develop the technical behavior, the musical knowledge, the languages, the stylistic definitions, the possibilities of the instrument you are gifted with.

Potential means nothing if it isn't developed into a reality!

BEING a singer requires not just a physicality and athleticism of instrument, but it requires a state of mind that is often single-minded to discover what is necessary and DOING that.

Having a beautiful voice doesn't mean being a singer if you are unable, unwilling or not passionate enough to develop the totality of the artistry and craft of that voice. A beautiful voice means NOTHING if the singer shows no compatibility to the FIRE that needs to exist to develop the instrument fully. A voice isn't a singer. A singer isn't always a voice.

The singer's temperament and dedication speaks louder than the talent in many cases. BEING a singer is not the same as having a lovely voice. It would be great if the two go together, but they DO NOT.

A singer CLAIMS his/her voice and develops it fully. A singer does not make excuses for him/herself. A singer DOES THE WORK and does not expect an entitled handout. A singer develop a realistic understanding of what she/he is able to do and what is simply not in the grasp of their ability or reality.

And even if the the voice becomes a singer - a singer is not guaranteed a career.

A career is an animal all unto itself. It demands a further tenacity, a further fire, a further pursuit, and a little luck - or a lot of luck!

The temperament of a singer who makes a living AS a singer is not for the weak of heart! It demands a commitment that often takes you far from those you love and who love you. It is a commitment that often leaves you alone. The pursuit of a career demands a commitment that honestly, you have very little control over - as the business itself makes a decision to make room for you or not.

Perhaps your talent and temperament is simply to sing. Then claim that.

Perhaps your talent and temperament is to take that voice and develop the skill and craft to be a singer. Then claim that.

Perhaps that talent and temperament is take that singer energy and pursue a career. Then claim that.

And perhaps that journey plays in the spaces in between. YOUR journey is yours. Just don't assume or expect with a reality check of where you ARE.

Where you WANT to be has to be begin with YOU. Where you end up - too many variables that are out of your hands, and yet many specifics you CAN control and develop and be ready for.

We are here to claim what we do not yet own. (thanks to my husband for that).

Why wouldn't you want to being claiming YOUR reality? It is in THIS claim that your journey begins to have substance and purpose.

1 comment:

Such a great article, Susan - thank you! So often I encounter students who have the passion and the talent but don't (yet) understand the *work* involved in developing those into marketable, professional commodities. Granted, that's a journey I think most of us have to take, but I think in our "American Idolized" modern world the journey is less obvious to many young un's. Wonderful thoughts, as always!

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